Héctor Rodríguez (baseball)
Héctor Rodríguez | |
---|---|
Third baseman | |
Born: Alquízar, Cuba | June 13, 1920|
Died: September 1, 2003 Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | (aged 83)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
NgL: 1944, for the New York Cubans | |
MLB: April 15, 1952, for the Chicago White Sox | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 16, 1952, for the Chicago White Sox | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .265 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 40 |
Teams | |
| |
Member of the Caribbean | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1998 |
Héctor Antonio Rodríguez Ordeñana (June 13, 1920 – September 1, 2003) was a Major League Baseball third baseman for one season (1952) with the Chicago White Sox. His natural position was shortstop, but he had the misfortune to be with the White Sox while Chico Carrasquel played the position, followed by all-time great Luis Aparicio.
A native of Alquízar, Cuba, Rodríguez played in the Negro leagues with the New York Cubans, 1939 and 1944, and in the Mexican League, 1945–46 (Riley, 676) prior to the integration of organized baseball,
Before the 1951 season, Rodríguez was acquired by the
Rodríguez was Chicago's regular third baseman during the 1952 season. He appeared in 124 games for the 81–73 White Sox and hit .265 with 1
Defensively, his .959
While Rodríguez never again made it back to the big league level, he had an outstanding career with the Toronto Maple Leafs when they were the top-drawing team in the International League during the 1950s. He teamed with second baseman Mike Goliat to turn spectacular double plays. Rodríguez was so good at the position, the White Sox sent a film crew to Toronto to record his skill at turning double plays to be used in training their minor league shortstops. He was renowned for his underhand flip throws from deep in the hole between shortstop and third base, a throw not seen in Toronto until Tony Fernandez played shortstop for the American League Toronto Blue Jays in the 1990s.
Rodríguez died at the age of 83 in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
References
- Riley, James A. (2002). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. 2nd edition. New York: Carroll & Graf Publ. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors) and Seamheads
- Retrosheet